It was Over
by SeaChanter
Summary: Jack just wants them all there


Title: It was Over

Author: SeaChanter

Categories: Pre-Ship

Rating: K+

Pairing: Sam/Jack

Series: none

Season: Season8 Alternate Reality

Summary: Jack just wanted everyone there.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and places are the property of MGM, World Gekko Corp and Double Secret Productions. This piece of fan fiction was created for entertainment, not monetary purposes and no infringement on copyrights or trademarks are intended. Previously unrecognized characters, places and this story are copyrighted to the author. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

Archive: Please do not archive anywhere without the author's permission.

Copyright (c) 2006 SeaChanter

Author's Note: A story written for a 12 year old. All cliches, nothing special :) Just a present :)

* * *

It was over. 

General Jack O'Neill would be leaving the SGC, as base commander, for the last time the next day.

He'd accepted the Presidential appointment as Head of Homeworld Security when General Hammond had retired and suggested Jack as his replacement.

Jack still didn't know what impact this would have in his relationship with the remaining members of SG-1. He'd accepted partially because he knew he'd never be able to really go through that Gate again. He knew there was no way he could any longer sit in SGC and watch his team go without him.

He'd invited Daniel, Janet, Teal'c, Jonas and Sam to the swearing in ceremony and celebration afterwards. He knew he'd feel better with his 'Team' surrounding him.

What he didn't expect was Sam saying no to the invitation. He'd thought they'd gotten past the last year of almost killing each other. That they'd gotten back to at least being friends and confidants. Guess he was wrong.

After Sam turned him down he decided to talk to Daniel; to see if he had any idea why Sam would say no.

Daniel sat, thought for a bit, looking anywhere but at Jack. Even for someone as dense as Jack insisted he was, he could see Daniel was not comfortable with the question.

Finally Daniel took a deep breath, looked at Jack and asked him 'Why do you think she said no?'

'Daniel, if I had any idea WHY I wouldbe here asking YOU. I have to fly out tomorrow and the ceremony is in 5 days. Please, I know it's a lot, but if you have any idea what I can do to get her to come, tell me. I want you all there. It'd be a lot easier knowing you were all with me.'

'Jack, we all know what you and Sam have been through, on a personal level, for all these years.' Daniel said, still looking uncomfortable. 'The two of you never strayed over the line, but even that helped make our team tighter. We all always knew we could trust you to get us home safely, and together, no matter what.'

'Daniel, I still have no idea what you are trying to tell me. Of course we've been a tight team. If we hadn't been, we'd have been split up by General Hammond years ago.'

Daniel took off his glasses, rubbed the bridge of his nose, looked at the ceiling, and then took another deep breath. 'Jack, have you talked to Sam at all about what this new job changes for our chain of command, as you are so fond of saying, even occasionally forgetting I have never been military?'

'Sure I talked to her about it. I talked to you and Teal'c also, as you know. I'd never have taken this kind of step without talking to all of you. She encouraged me to do this; you all did.'

'Jack, you can't really be this dense, can you? Have you talked to Sam about how this impacts on your friendship with her, not on how it impacts us as a team?'

Jack looked at Daniel with one of his 'lights are on, no ones home' looks he did so well. Then his eyes just shuttered closed. No emotion at all.

'I really don't think this is something we need to discuss.'

Jack, you came into my lab, my office, my space, and asked me why Sam said no. If you didn't want to know you wouldn't have come here and asked me.' Taking a deep breath, Daniel continued. 'You need to talk to Sam, not me.'

'I TRIED to talk to her, for crying out loud. I can't get any reason from her.'

'Then you need to talk to her again. You were appointed by the President, and not assigned the job by the military. You are no longer in our direct line of command. There's a big difference. And you need to look at what you want, and find out what Sam wants, with this change. Really look at what the change means.'

'Maybe I'll just go and talk to your wife. I'm sure Janet can give me some answers.'

'Err, Jack, I don't think you should. She's just going to tell you the same things I did and probably not as politely.'

'Yeah, and decide I need one more clearance physical, with big needles. I think I'll forgo that pleasure.'

With that last bit, Jack turned around and walked out of Daniel's lab, for probably the last time.

Jack was back in his office, trying to finish up the last little bits he needed to do before turning SGC over to its new commander, General Landry. Putting his hands around his head and letting out a big breath didn't seem to help him much. He kept playing Daniel's words over and over inside that empty head of his. Everything that was going on was added to those thoughts and he decided if he didn't get out of that office his head was going to plain old explode.

'What do I want', he muttered. 'I want my whole team there. All of them.' He closed his eyes and tried to think about being surrounded by the three of them but all that came into his head was a picture of Sam standing with him. Not Daniel, not Teal'c, not the three of them. Just Sam. Only Sam, and as much as he tried to put Daniel and Teal'c into the picture he discovered he couldn't.

He groaned to himself and thought that was something which was long gone, not gonna happen, anytime, nope, not, no way. It was a dead issue. She had a chance now at command and all the hell they put themselves through was over. It was gone. Dead. Finished.

He knew what he wanted, but he knew it would not be what she wanted. He always knew. It never went away. He pushed those thoughts so far down he could barely get them out of that closed in space. And when they did float to the top, he pushed them down again, as hard as he could.

He blew it, he knew. He also knew there were things that would never change. He was so much older than she was. So much more damaged. He knew she had finally gotten old enough herself to realize that.

'I'm out of here,' he thought. 'I'm not going there again.'

* * *

By the time he got to the surface, it was dark. He walked over to the car he had rented, having driven his truck to Washington the week before. 

He didn't see her until he was at the car. She was in total shadow. She walked over to him, and greeted him with a very controlled 'General.' But he knew her, she was furious.

'Hey, Carter, fancy meeting you here.'

'How DARE you try to talk to Daniel behind my back? What gives you the right to ask anyone about what possible reason I might have for ANYTHING?' She was past furious, he realized.

'I tried talking to you, even asking why you said no, and got nowhere. I just wanted everyone at the ceremony.'

'Then you come talk to me again, try again. You do NOT go behind my back. You ask me to my face.'

He threw his hands up in the air, getting almost as angry as she was. He was getting sick of this whole situation and all of a sudden he realized he had no idea what to do or say. 'What do you want' kept getting into the front of his brain and his thoughts.

He walked around the car, to the passenger door and opened the door. 'OK, Carter, if you want to talk this out again, we are NOT going to do this in the parking lot. In. Enough of this.

She stood there for about 30 seconds and he was sure she was going to turn round, after cursing him a bit, and walk away. He was flabbergasted when she actually got into the car and put the seatbelt on.

'OK, General. Your place or mine. I doubt we'd be allowed to stay anywhere in public within five minutes of getting there,' she spat the words out

'Mine, it's closer.' He was not going to get out of this discussion so he figured he'd go to the closest house before either of them got sensible again. He decided being angry just might get through to her, and maybe he'd even get through to himself.

Somehow he got them to his house, withoutto running a red light, or accidentally hitting another car. He was a bit too mad to go slow. In a corner of his mind he realized he was very lucky to not get pulled over for any of his road tricks.

She got out of the car, slamming the door closed waiting for him to get out and unlock the door to his house.

Once inside he looked around, realized exactly how cold and bare the place looked and said 'Sorry, most of the personal stuff I have is already gone.' Just waiting for tomorrow for the packers to come and get his furniture out and into storage until he decided what to do with it all.

Sam looked around, and turned to him, 'I couldn't give a damn how your place looked. This is not a social visit. This is me, trying to decide how to kill you.'

He just stood there, watching her walk around the room, yelling and occasionally cursing him, again, for talking to Daniel. 'What right do you think you had to even talk to Daniel about me? What makes you think you can? How DARE you.'

All of a sudden he was too tired to keep this going anymore.

'Did Daniel tell you what he told me about all this?'

'No, he just told me you went to him and asked him about my decision to not go to Washington.' What did he tell you? That I'd probably punch you out for talking about me?'

Suddenly he just sighed, and sat down on the couch. 'Sam, I don't want to fight with you. Not now, not ever. I just wanted everyone there with me. But Daniel said I needed to figure out what I wanted.'

'And what, pray tell, answer did you come up with?' And all of a sudden her anger was gone, she looked as exhausted and worn out as he felt.

'When I got back to my office I tried to picture Daniel, Teal'c and you standing with me. When I closed my eyes all I could see was you there. No matter what or how I tried, I could not put Daniel or Teal'c, or anyone else into that picture. God, Sam, I can't figure out how this all got so screwed around. I can't even figure out what to say to try and get this mess unscrewed up. I don't even know how to put any of this into words.'

Sam looked at him, saw his eyes filled with more pain than she'd seen for years. She saw him looking at her. Looking at her for the first time in what seemed like years to her. Looking at her, and not at the soldier or scientist, but looking at her as if she was a person.

'I think you found a way to put something into words for the first time in a long time.' She walked over to the couch, sat next to him. She took his hands in hers, and settled in for what might be the most important conversation either of them had ever had with each other.

Maybe there was a way out.


End file.
